Advantages

"Comfortable design"

Disadvantages

The most comfortable headphones around!

These Koss headphones are aiming to be the best low priced headphones. Although they are not based in the UK they do ship here.

Studio headphones are built to serve a unique purpose: to provide unadulterated reference audio of the highest quality. As such, it's easy to find yourself in enthusiast territory, where there's no limit to the amount of cash you can drop on this type of headphone. These headphones have the potential to be an attractive option for those looking to make a budget-minded leap. But are they worth checking out for those who are simply looking for a good set of headphones?

They aren't the hulking monstrosities seen around the over-ear studio headphone scene. Rather, they're a delightfully lightweight exception. The headband is upholstered in leather and mesh padding. The adjustable metal band can accommodate a wide range of head sizes. Stretching down from the sidearms, the aluminum earcups are attached with strong, metal hinges. Being lightweight is one of the best qualities, flexibility is another. These hinges allow the earcups to conveniently fold up into the headband to be stowed away in a large coat pocket. For an extra bit of flex, the earcups can swivel 180 degrees. These aluminum earcups on the Pro4S follow Koss' own clever "D-profile" design. It's not rocket science, the shape of these cups literally looks like the letter "D". This shape just so happens to sit perfectly around the ear. This translates to long-lasting comfort and better sound reproduction thanks to a natural-fitting seal around the ear.

As studio headphones, they strive to play your music naturally without bias. They succeed in that effort, certain production styles and genres sound great. Unfortunately, a bit of a double-edged situation arises, as other genres fall flat on their face. It's hard to fault the headphones when they were made this way by design, but when the headphones only flex their stuff for a particular crowd, it becomes a problem for those left behind based on their taste in music.

While I liked the coiled cable at first, it quickly became an annoyance. The struggle of keeping it out of my way while typing at the desk always ended in bitter defeat.

Casual listeners should look elsewhere for a set of headphones that are more at the ready to play a wide variety of music genres favorably. The Koss, while inexpensive, don't deliver the evenly-spread listening experience that folks with a diverse catalogue of music might desire.

However, an affordable option for studio headphones is always welcome. For studio-dwellers, they aren't just affordable, they're comfortable and - at their best - a solid performer. If you know what you're in for, you'll find a lot to like here for a good price.